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Holborn and Bloomsbury – In Focus
by John Cryne
It's been a long time coming – but hopefully worth the wait – the first pub guide published by the North London Branch of CAMRA in eight years. It features the classic pubs of Holborn and Bloomsbury, listing all the pubs that sell real ale in the WC1 area.
The guide lists over 50 outlets – around 80% of the total, which regularly offer cask beer. But the eight years since the last Guide have taken their toll. Although new pubs have sprung up – Penderel's Oak, The Ivy House and The Square Pig – pubs that have disappeared have outnumbered these. Disappeared is not too strong a word for places such as The Bedford Arms (Bayley Street), Dickens (Northington St) and The White Hart (Theobalds Road), which have gone without trace. Others, such as The Hansler Arms (Kings Cross Road) and The Prince Albert (Acton Street) sit sadly boarded up, their future uncertain.
As with many other CAMRA Branches, we are faced with a gradual erosion of our pub stock, with conversions into flats, offices or restaurants. During surveying, we found that in the time since the last guide, some 12% of pubs in the area had closed. The latest is Good Beer Guide listed Three Cups in Sandland Street. Rumour has it that Dorset’s Badger Brewery has acquired the lease but what will result from the current building work is still unclear.
This had been one of three Young's pubs in WC1, and the Branch is very grateful to Young's brewery for having sponsored the Guide and the launch, which took place at The Lamb (see box below), a splendid picture of which features on the front cover.
Thanks to that support, we have been able to produce the new Guide at a very reasonable cover price, namely £1. It's hoped that it will be on sale in local pubs in WC1, such as The Lamb and Young’s other pub, The Calthorpe Arms and as many others as we can persuade to do so. It can also be picked up at The Wenlock Arms in Hoxton.
Alternatively, the guide can be purchased from CAMRA at 01727 867201, although the price will be increased for postage and packing. Those with access to the net should visit www.camra.org.uk, where it can be bought on line.
North London CAMRA Branch Committee member and former CAMRA National Chairman, John Cryne (left) presents Young’s Chairman John Young with the first copy of the new Holborn and Bloomsbury Guide. They are pictured at the launch party in the Guide’s cover-featured Young’s Lamb public house, in March.
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Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 20.
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